Theese days rbistolfi , uelsk8s and I are creating a helper application to make slackbuilds. If you're interested on trying and betatest it, it'd be great.

Here follows a typical slackbuild for VL6. helper script will create the correct directory structure, and will fill names where necessary. You'll only have to tweak configure options and fill description

#!/usr/bin/bash# This script assumes it will be launched within "/NAME/VERSION/src" dir.# With all sources in "src" Your Vector Linux .tlz package, slack-desc,# and slack-required will be found in "VERSION" dir. The extraction and# build will be in a temp dir created in "NAME" dir, and then removed on exit.# Comment out second to last line to keep this dir intact.

if [ $UID != 0 ]; then echo "You are not authorized to run this script. Please login as root" exit 1fi

if [ ! -x /usr/bin/requiredbuilder ]; then echo "Requiredbuilder not installed, or not executable." exit 1fi

if [ $VL_PACKAGER = "YOURNAME" ]; then echo 'Who are you? Please edit VL_PACKAGER=${VL_PACKAGER:-YOURNAME} in this script. Change the word "YOURNAME" to your VectorLinux packager name. You may also export VL_PACKAGER, or call this script with VL_PACKAGER="YOUR NAME HERE"' exit 1fi

#CONFIGURE & MAKE#----------------------------------------------------------------------# If you are building a KDE-related app, then change the following# arguments in the script below:# --prefix=$(kde-config -prefix) \# --sysconfdir=/etc/kde \## Making these changes will ensure that your package will build in the# correct path and that it will work seamlessly within the KDE environment.##-----------------------------------------------------------------------echo "Configuring source..."./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc --localstatedir=/var --mandir=/usr/man --with-included-gettext --disable-debug --program-prefix="" --program-suffix="" --build=$CONFIGURE_TRIPLET $CONFIG_OPTIONS || exit 1

# Fill in the package summary between the () below.# Then package the description, License, Author and Website.# There may be no more then 11 $NAME: lines in a valid slack-desc.

cat > $RELEASEDIR/slack-desc << EOF# HOW TO EDIT THIS FILE:# The "handy ruler" below makes it easier to edit a package description. Line# up the first '|' above the ':' following the base package name, and the '|'# on the right side marks the last column you can put a character in. You must# make exactly 11 lines for the formatting to be correct. It's also# customary to leave one space after the ':'.

kukibl

Wow... that was fast. Thank you very much kidd for your response. I will be glad to help. Just tell me, is it possible to use your app on 5.9.x or is it meant just for VL6 and future releases (I ask because of testing - is it OK to test it on my 5.9.1 SOHO)? Also, where can I download it?

I've built a kdiff3 package using vpackager on my VL SOHO 5.9.1. Is it not good anymore? If it's good, how I should go about sharing it. I intend to built more packages if everything goes well. Thanks.

Packages built with vpackager are ok to redistribute , but only among yourcomputers and friends. That was not this way until 5.9, but from now on, we*have to* provide sources along with with binaries and a script to build thebinary from sources. I suppose vpackager does everything internally, and can'toutput a slackbuild file, so packages won't be included in the repos this way.

Packaging in VL SOHO is not the best distro to make packages for vl because itmay add extra dependencies of packages that aren't installed in vl std or light.That happened in vl 5.8. I don't know if now, in 5.9 and 6.0 it's possible topackage in SOHO.

kukibl

I am currently using sbbuilder and must admit that things are going great so far. Automatic generation of SlackBuild makes things easier a lot, so for classic "configure; make; make install" apps only slight modifications are required. Worked pretty well for me for openobex, obexftp, kdebluetooth...

I would like to ask one question... What is procedure to join VL's packaging team? I am currently using 5.9.1 soho and since VL6 is quite close to final release, I would like to start packaging some apps after VL6 comes out. So what are conditions and is there any free room in VL's packages team?